Mrs.

Gable, my neighbor, was leaning over the black railing in her pink housecoat, her eyes fixed on us in the dim light of the courtyard lamp.

“Go home, Arthur,” I said.

“I am not leaving until you promise to call Detective Harris and withdraw that statement,” he said, stepping closer to the gate.

“We are his family, Mara.

We protect each other.”

“I am not part of this,” I said.